To Regard a Stranger
by HeatherSilentHillMason
Summary: A crossover sort of AU of Red Riding Hood and Kuroshitsuji. Featuring Alois and Claude. This a Roleplay executed on Facebook between Necochan1 and I. There will be more chapters to come, be certain of that. Mature content warning. Please do gift us feedback, and we will have more stories up shortly.
1. Meeting

The dense, soundless forest was awash with mere speckles of light from the treetops above. Due to such density within the forest tree tops, the forest could easily be mistaken as evening upon almost any time at all. Yet that provided such magnificent cover for whatever creatures reside within such a forest. Those who dare step foot along the singular path within that forest would soon find themselves swayed from that path and lost within the vast and differential terrain. One creature at a definite had the tendencies to lure its prey off from that singular path, no matter how rare 'guests' would bid entrance to the forest.

However, one particular guest had especially captured his interest. He lay in wait in the dense thicket, gleaming honey orbs scanning the trail as the figure plodded along. Few details truly stood out to him, which what drew his interest so vastly. They did not dress so blatantly, and they held no fear in where they were. Or so it had seemed. Rather, the form appeared to know precisely where they were going unlike many passing along. The figure sported a rather luring, crimson read hooded jacket… of sorts. It was tied to them firmly in the form of a ribbon around his neck. The creature grazed his eyes over the article of clothing before they focused on bright gleaming icy hues the human sported so well. So… Enticing. He was too far however to truly study, though he could also tell there was a basket in which the guest also carried. Perhaps it was his time to step out and greet the traveler, falsely promising him guidance through the woods by explaining to him on how such a trail was false to travel upon. He lurched his way out from the thicket, and with a flick of his tail pressed perfected posture as the traveler neared him. His expression was blatant and bare, despite the warm disposition he would soon press onto the small male, as it seemed. He seemed rather feminine, but as the red-hooded mortal drew closer it became more apparent that it was male.

The small boy with the red cape trotted along the singular path with a slight spring in his step. He had been allowed out of one of the many large estates that occupied a small village right on the edge of the forest, and he was excited to be free. The old man who resided in the estate in which he was released from loathed the blonde haired boy, but he was his guardian, so for the longest time he could not find a way to get rid of the child without tainting his noble name. So what was he to do? For years, he merely locked the boy up inside, keeping the windows closed and the curtains drawn as he gave excuse after excuse that the boy was sick and far too unhealthy to roam outside. But then the day came where he was in town and he heard a rumor, a rumor that any youth that ventured into the forest disappeared, taken by an unknown creature and never seen again. The old man saw this as his chance to get rid of his loathed charge, so he dressed the boy in the most obvious and flamboyant clothing and sent him into the woods to deliver a basket of goods to a relative of his. He informed the blonde that so long as he stayed on the single path, he would find said relative's home easily, as the house was supposedly nestled just on the outside of the exit of the forest.

It was a simple task, but the blonde was excited by it. Perhaps if he completed this errand successfully, he could roam outside more. The forest was beautiful, though a little too dark for his taste. Nevertheless he felt perfectly safe, as he was on the single path and he had not heard of any creatures lurking in the forest before. So when a figure appeared ahead of him, he was too interested to be wary. Though he did slowdown in the slightest when he spotted the ears, tail, and minuscule fangs protruding from what he had assumed was another human. This… "man" that stood in front of him was both captivating and frightening. Though he seemed as if he wouldn't do the blonde any harm. However, the boy with the red cape found himself clutching the basket in his arms tighter as his electrifying crystal blue eyes stared into the figure's own honey hues. The boy did not dare speak first, but instead waited for the male to as he slowly came to a halt about a hundred feet away.

The silence around them seemed to reign out heavily as the others footsteps gradually came to a halt. The youth, as the creature himself could sense, seemed idly curious yet withheld no fear. Were his ears and tail not enough to give off the vibe that the other may be in danger? He did enjoy a good chase from time to time, as he made sure to stalk the guests of the forest down until they were a very nice distance away from the village. With his own speed, hunting them down proved easy enough yet rather an enjoyment. The blonde mortal made no movements to turn on his heel and sprint off in fright. If nothing more, his expression held a high curiosity. With a slighter flick of his ear, he pressed his opticals more affirmatively onto the bridge of his nose and proceeded on his own to draw closer to the male. No, no fear. Perhaps nervousness if nothing more along the category of fear, but no fear. His pace was assured and definite, and he quickly skimmed down the one hundred feet to a lowly twenty within a matter of subtle moments.

His expression remained void, unconcerned as he looked the mortal over, and studied him closely... Truly a fine 'guest', with skin so pallid, pure and untainted. Gorgeous ebony lashes decorate and accentuate the icy hues he sports ever so well. At the point he had drawn far closer - yet not truly enough to scare him away if he were to become uncomfortable - he had then noted the nearly luminous golden locks. Oh,,, this would be so wondrous for the creature. His tongue darted along his lips, and to any other it would merely seem as if he were moistening his lips. It was so odd, for a completely random stranger out in those woods to be as well dressed as the creature was. Clearly, he was clad in a rather pristine suit much companionable to a butler's uniform. Surely one of his class could not possibly present harm to the male. Correct? With his expression unwavering still, he pressed a hand to his chest and regarded the youth in a monotone. "Greetings, young man. You clearly seem to be heading for an objective along this lone path, yes?" He paused for a few moments, and then continued his twisting sway of words. His common trickery to lure those youth off from their path and... Oh, how positively lovely this one was. After all, he had obtained so very few of his guests in the past. "I assure you, this path will lead to your demise within the forest, utterly lost without return. I bid you a much safer path, if you will simply come with me…"


	2. Basket

If the wolf in front of him thought the boy was scared at all, he was most incorrect. The boy was simply wary. Whilst living in the house with his guardian, many esteemed visitors would come to visit and if he was spotted idly roaming the halls, he would have to introduce himself and be on his very best behavior lest he wanted to endure a brutal beating once their guest departed. Therefore no, Alois was not scared of this man in any way; he was simply being on his best behavior. Though of course he was very curious of the man, as he had seen no other with ears and a tail. Not to mention those brilliant golden hues. As the male neared him, he took note of how tall he was, how his face seemed to be shaped perfectly, as if by a master artist, to the point where even his brows held not a single flaw. His hair seemed to possess almost a deep purple tint to them, and his ears could almost be mistaken as oddly-styled pieces of his hair had he not possessed a tail. Yet when a small crack of light hit him through the dents in the forest ceiling, he looked like he had just stepped out of a dream. Or even better; a fairytale. Though the blonde didn't fancy the way the light reflected off his glasses and rendered him incapable to see his eyes. He hated when he could not see someone eyes, or when a person would not make eye contact with him. To him, making eye contact was a sign of power and importance and when he was incapable to do so it left him feeling almost… weak. He could also usually tell what a person was thinking just by looking into their eyes. That is how he knew when he needed to hide from his uncle or when it was safe to have another helping of supper. It all depended on eye contact.

It was only when the man pressed a hand to his chest and bowed did the blonde take note of what he was wearing. He was dressed in high-class butler attire. Back at the estate, there were many butlers and maids that would attend to him and his guardian's needs, and sometimes when guests came they would bring their own servants as well. Therefore, Alois drew up a very quick and entirely wrong conclusion on the whole matter, "Ah, has my uncle sent you to escort me, then?" he demanded. If this man truly was a butler, then there was no need to keep up a proper façade. So he shifted his weight to one leg and put a hand on his hip, his lips tugging down as he impatiently waited for an answer. He even dared to step closer to the man, as if he were trying to seem intimidating himself. He was of a higher rank, for even though his uncle hated him he was still his charge, and therefore inherited the title of "Count." And now he knew this man was nothing more than a simple servant, so there was no need to bother with manners. Back home, this is how he always behaved. Which almost made it understandable that all the servants and his own uncle hated him.

He noted the sudden, brazen alteration in the young male's attitude and posture with a more curious disposition of his own. He seemed perfectly innocent mere seconds ago, and now he had taken on a bit more of a menacing and demanding posture of his own. How puzzling. However, it was rather pleasing indeed to be dubbed as an escort then. He would simply agree to the position, and it would be as easy as that. Never once had he pondered his attire however, nor that it would be the reason for the male's dispositional change. Nevertheless, the creature decided to keep that friendly demeanor, despite how dim and single toned he was. The closing distance between them however, triggered an excited swipe of his tail before he stilled himself. Oh, far too easy. Yet he would enjoy it far more, soon enough. Even without the tantalizing scent of the mortal, his appearance was positively delightful. Surely the Wolf could feed his needs off of appearance, as well. Yes that is precisely what he would do.

Another slighter wiggle made its way to his tail, as he nodded once in response to the male's imposing question. Right, his uncle's approved escort. Whatever the blonde wished to believe, that suited the creature just fine. It made things perfectly easy. He would have his desires met quite soon enough. Play around with his prey before his meal. It would be a shame however, for such a lovely guest to be incorporated into dinner. He shifted himself slightly closer once more, closing the space to one another by another few feet. "Correct, I am indeed your appointed escort for your destination. If you would…" He had lowered his voice the very slightest, pressing his hand to a thick, but thin and flexible line of trees as he pulled them aside to reveal the forest a tad further. "Simply follow me this way, and I shall guide you down the proper path to your destination, young man."

Well this was easy enough, the blonde found himself thinking. It would be nice to have a companion while traveling. When he had asked his uncle how long his errand should take, he was merely told it would "take a while" which of course, was not helpful to him in the least. Depending on what mood he was in, "a while" could be just a few moments. For when he was impatient even the shortest lapses of time were rather aggravating. But thinking realistically, and judging by the wide expanse of forest that he saw, this journey was bound to take a couple hours if not more. And even though the forest was beautiful, and he was seeing things he had not seen before, he had a tendency to get bored quite quickly. So having a companion to chat with was a gift, and he was rather grateful his uncle had sent the man to him. Being the inexperienced child that he was, he did not think the ears and tail as something sinister, but merely as something he had not seen before. Perhaps this man had been born with these extra accessories as a deformation (though seeing that he was perfect in every other way, Alois highly doubted this). All in all, he did not think it strange at all; it simply something different that he had not seen before. For all he knew, anyone born in the forest was born with ears and a tail, and he simply had never seen someone who was born in the forest until now. Though he thought he would like to, especially if they all looked as enticingly handsome as this man.

He glanced down the path he was currently on once before following his "escort". If something was wrong with the path, then who was he to question it? Who knew, perhaps this would even prove to be a shortcut. He merely wanted to get back to his uncle as soon as possible to show that even though he was crazy (as his uncle so kindly dubbed him) he could be reliable as well, which meant he could be trusted to run more errands or even roam freely on his own. As he walked next to the man, he could not help but glance up at him from time to time. His features were captivating, and the blonde found it stirring something he had not felt before inside of him. More than once, he found his gaze fixed on the wolf's lips. They were not plump as his was, nor were they nearly as pink, but they looked soft and firm. Alois wanted to touch them, to feel those lips and see if they really were as soft as they looked. To even feel them against his own or—he blinked, cutting off his own thoughts. Just what was going through his mind? And where were such desires coming from? Surely he had never thought of such a thing before. Yet as he glanced back, his mind became filled with such thoughts again until he cut himself off. Just what was wrong with him? He could not make sense of it. So instead he tried to distract himself by lightly clearing his throat and asking, "So what happened to the main path? Did my uncle find out about it and send you to me? Or did he send you anyway to make sure I would be safe?"He was truly curious seeing as the old geezer had told him again and again to stay on the main path, and to not stray from it. Surely something terrible must have happened to force him to be lead off of it and take a new route.

Pleased as can be, that the naïve little male had followed him he parted thing trees and brush from time to time for the youth as they trudged through that ever so dangerous forest. Surely his generosity would be clear and clarified to the other, further giving off his granted position as an innocent escort. With each glance granted to him by the little mortal, he would return such a thing now and then whenever the blonde were to look away from him once again. Never, would he meet that gaze. As they went along however, the forest seemed to clear up a tad and give them more space to walk without ducking or squeezing between trees, ore clearing thickets. At the point the unnamed male cleared his throat, the creature flicked his ear back again at the quick capture of the vocalization, which was followed up by the questions the young male presented. The creature disliked talking, truly, but he could answer them simply.

"It is simply obstructed. It has been known for some time, perhaps he simply forgot…" Suddenly, the creature had halted in his path… Was this far enough? He changed his direction, dragged them through obstacles far enough to surely have them lost. Or at least, the blonde would definitely be lost if he were to try his hand at running away. He focused his gaze solely onto the blonde at that point, regarding him with a firm eye-locking gaze. Yet after not too long, he drew up uncomfortably close to the youth, brushing against him slightly as the wolf had bend down, drawing his hues down to the basket in the process of him doing so. He just needed a very simple diversion. Just enough for him to be that close to the smaller male, close enough to feel his body heat. Upon least expecting of the youth, the wolf would pin him down and gladly have his way. This distraction would be formed, by a very simple question of his own. "Might I inquire, what is within that basket of yours?"


	3. Greed and Hunger

It would be a shame, were the little male to be truly rather parched. After all, he already determined wine would not be partaken of just yet. If only the little youth had a single clue what he had gotten himself into. Things as he knew them, were about to drastically change simply because of a stranger he so brazenly and naively decided to converse with and follow. He believed his lies as if the direct story were being granted to his ears. The creature had not even tried so vastly to convince him. A few choice words, and he had the male right within his greedy claws. And, he would not be escaping them at that. Nevertheless however, the slightest tremble of clarified the soreness of his legs, and he determined a few moments of rest and he would be ready to enact whatever he pleased with the defenseless mortal.

The creature simply nodded in reply after a quick judgment on whether or not he should gift the blonde a quick break. The blonde seemed to contort into an idealistic realization, and Claude followed his gaze to the small clearing, still shrouded in partial darkness but a tad lighter than the density around them. It was a perfect location, rather. Dark to his taste yet also lighter, and clearly more spacious for him to move about at his will without worrying about bracing against a tree or such. Surely it was a few prowling steps away, past a thicker tree line. He blinked a few times, blatantly, as if assessing the area very briefly before he gave a slight prod to the young male's back, as if to hurry him along as the wolf continued on. Even as he passed him, he ushered him along more affirmatively by brushing his tail along the red coat adorning his back. "Yes, yes. Right this way and we can rest for a few… minutes. Surely."

Ever so silent and always in such a hurry. It was truly starting to get on the blonde's last nerve. This whole time he had been trying to start a conversation, yet he had never gotten much in reply. And if that nod had annoyed him, then the prod to his back nearly drove him over the edge. For fucks sake! He knew where the clearing was, it would take just under five minutes to get there, and yet he was still being hurried as If he was lagging slowly! His teeth grit and he was prepared to spit an insult at the man for his lack of vocalization when he was cut off by the wolf's words. Then he paused. Perhaps he was in such a hurry because Alois's uncle had told him to go straight there without a detour, but the older male had felt some sympathy for the young boy and allowed him time to rest purely out of the good of his heart. At that notion, a small smile graced the Count's lips and he looked to the ground as if he were shy. His head was starting to swim with ridiculous ideas now. He wondered if the male was attracted to Alois the same was the blonde was attracted to him. Or what if he had fallen enchanted just by the look of the angelic blonde. Did he truly like him that much to be as kind as to defy his uncle's direct orders? A small tremor ran through the blonde's body at the thought of such. Defying his uncle was truly a courageous feat. In the years he has lived with the man, he has seen him do pretty horrid stuff to those who crossed him, and he would have no restraint to punish the wolf for such acts of treachery. The blonde glanced up to Claude, his gaze almost smoldering. Do you really know what you are doing for me? He wondered, do you know how much trouble you could get into for simply being so kind? This man was starting to seem more and more like a prince out of a fairytale to the blonde. He wondered, if he were to kiss him now, would he be taken away to a castle deep in the woods? The boy's eyes widened as it suddenly dawned on him just what he was thinking. He shook his head, a blush creeping its way up to his cheeks. What was that fuck was he? A love-struck maiden? He could not believe he was thinking such ridiculous and girlish thoughts. He must never go through the woods again after this; it was changing him too much. It was giving him preposterous ideas.

But if the ideas in his head were so outrageous, then why did the most pleased tingle go up his spine when the wolf's tail brushed along his back? Surely it was only because it tickled. But why was he suddenly finding it so hard to swallow? It must be because he is thirstier than he thought. But why is his heart beating so fast? He… he did not have an answer to that one. He only hoped that when they sat down his heart would calm itself. Sure, they had been walking quite a bit, but even walking did not make someone's heard beat this way, right? When he was bored, the boy would roam the estate, walking up and down staircases and meandering through hallways for hours, and yet his heart never beat so fast. It must be something in the air. Yes, that was it; the air was richer here in the forest. That has to be it. Yet before he knew it they were standing in the middle of the clearing. It had taken the blonde a few moments to come back from his daze, but when he did he quickly set the basket down and sat down himself. He had made sure to fan out his red cape under him so he would not get his shorts dirty. After all, he could just carry his cloak if it got too dirty but he did not have a spare change of shorts, so he didn't want them getting soiled. Next, he reached into his basket and took out two flasks of wine. He handed one to his escort and opened his own, taking a quick swig and relishing the feel of it moistening his dry throat. It truly was a splendid sensation. Not to mention his legs were feeling quite relieved.

Never once had the creature taken the hesitation to ever once glance back towards the mortal. After all, his full concern was not on him at all. If he followed that was well enough, and he cared not a tad bit further than that. This was indeed taking longer than he wished, in fact. Simply because of all of the youth's damned questions and inquisitions of the sort. Generally he located a guest, dragged them a few simple meters into the depths of the forest before devouring them. Though of course, he never really fed his more primal desires, such as the fulfillment of his lust. He was after all a lonely creature. His only company was ever the guests to wander their way into the forest. It was due to that he was so unfamiliar with conversations. He knew how to have them, but could only stand irrelevant discussions for so long. Hardly did he ever speak, but to sway the intentions of his prey to follow up on his own intentions and goals. Yet his twist of words and promises worked just fine. Very rarely did he ever give up a definite effort, other than a chase and with his speed they never got far before he brought them down. No, however, his current capture was certainly a keeper for as long as he would last. His appearance was very enticing, and certainly more inviting than many. Just the simple thoughts of bringing skin to skin were enough to produce a very, very light hum-like growl to reverberate from the depths of his throat in a pleased demeanor. He had no reason, not to be pleased.

When the blonde had seated himself, the wolf did as well and eyed his movements carefully as he reached into the basket to receive the flasks. He had no regard for the ground. And how odd, deeming how pristine his suit was. How did he keep it so neat, being a forest dweller? Perhaps he truly did have a little haven of his own within that forest… Where else would he go? Upon receiving his own flask, he held it a few inches above his mouth as he tilted his head back and allowed the wondrous substance to drizzle into his mouth as he tilted the flask. Surely compared to many drinking habits it was rather odd. As he tilted his head back and left his mouth agape however, each one of his four, long canines were adamantly visible. Two of the top, visible from the base of the white colour (excluding the roots) were estimated an inch long. The two on the lower, probably a mere half. Nevertheless the view of them were rather magnificent, if not a slighter bit intimidating. He closed the jaws, daring a tongue along his lips afterwards as he regarded the blonde a firm stare. Not too much wine… The flasks were rather small, yet still. It would ruin the fun for himself if the blonde were to become the slightest tipsy. He wanted each exact reaction. He himself finished his flask however, and had reached to set it by the basket, as he had done so he then sauntered over to the young male on his hands and knees, drawing up to meet him directly, face to face. "Not too much, mind you." He had no regard for whether or not Alois had finished is or not, for within sparse bare second movements he had it capped and set to the ground, rather forcefully. The desire to gain fear or at least surprise from the other burned adamantly within him. He could wait no longer. What would be the point of doing so? The mortal was never returning home. It was far too late at that point to turn back. Would the youth regret ever even meeting eyes with the creature that now had a hand on his chest, pushing him back down against the ground and clampering his way on top of him? The wolf himself had grown adamantly excited of what was to come, what he would receive. His honey hues met with the icy orbs of the form he had pinned to the forest floor at that point. Between the time he had crawled his way over, to the point their eyes met had all seemed like an excited and unpredictable blur.


End file.
